For both residents and merchants, it has been a long 18 months with the East Ocean Avenue Bridge closed. But since construction is nearly complete, and a date has been firmed up for the new $32 million bridge to open, it’s time to celebrate.

Lantana’s shindig, with ribbon-cutting, food, music and fireworks, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 16, at Bicentennial Park. A “First ___ Over the Bridge Parade” is being planned, similar to…

A federal contractor could have its dredge off Ocean Ridge’s beach before Thanksgiving.

The shore protection project, another in Delray Beach and a third in Boca Raton make up a $10.8 million contract the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded in September. Boca Raton is paying for a fourth segment at its southern end. Work was to begin Nov. 1 in south Boca Raton, then move to Ocean Ridge around Nov. 20.

Moviegoers will say goodbye to an old friend this month when the Regal Delray Beach 18 Theater goes dark to make way for an LA Fitness center after a long run spanning three decades at the corner of Linton Boulevard and Federal Highway.

“Yes, we will be closing in November,” said a theater employee, “but we don’t have an exact date yet.”

Regal Entertainment Group corporate officers in Nashville, Tenn., and the operators of…

The youngest person to be named mayor of Briny Breezes since Hugh David 50 years ago was unanimously appointed Oct. 24 by the Town Council. Gerry Devine, 38, a corporate attorney for Cisco Systems with offices in Fort Lauderdale, will complete the five months remaining on retiring Mayor Roger Bennett’s one-year term.

Devine, his wife and two young children bought a lot in District 4 earlier this year and are…

Boynton Beach City Commissioner David Merker urged changing the park’s name to “Boynton Beach” in August and renewed his call Oct. 15 after the recreation and parks advisory board recommended calling it “Boynton Oceanfront Park.”

The owners of Ocean Ridge’s five-store business district agreed to pay for a planning study that may forestall its demise, but not before clashing with town commissioners.

After requiring an engineering study of the property at 5011 N. Ocean Blvd. four months ago, commissioners were reluctant Oct. 7 to reconsider a 44-year-old decision to change the shops to residential use.

Oceanfront Manalapan residents made crystal clear they want no part of the regional beach management program designed to make approval of new renourishment projects smoother and quicker.

In an email and snail mail survey of the town’s seaside homeowners, residents voted 16-0 against the plan. All but one vote came from oceanfront estate owners, the other from the La Coquille Villas. One hundred forty-seven barrier island landowners…

Pressed to reject a traffic-stop policy that has been linked to racial profiling in major cities, Manalapan town commissioners unanimously ratified withdrawal of the program that had been discontinued 21 months ago.

The commission in 2010 had backed the program designed to focus on hotspots of traffic stops, pointing to statistics in larger cities such as Baltimore, Oakland and Nashville that revealed that more stops led to more crime…

South Palm Beach’s nine non-police-union workers will get a 2 percent pay increase and a $1,500 bonus to help them keep pace with their collective bargaining brethren, the Town Council decided by a 4-1 vote Aug. 22.

The money was included in the $2.1 million 2013-’14 budget approved by the council in September, but the council did not specify the amount then. The hike is the first in five years for the employees.